In an effort to bring Buffy the Vampire into the HD era, 20th Century Fox has been remastering the hugely-popular series, putting out high-definition, widescreen versions of the show. Remastered episodes of the first two seasons have been airing in the States on the cable channel Pivot, but it seems that Fox’s restoration is doing more harm than good (particularly when it comes to transferring the aspect ratio from the original 4:3 to 16:9). A Facebook page has been tracking the many issues, including issues with cropping, framing, brightness and even crew members and equipment appearing in the shot. Here’s a selection of comparison images:
Well, it’s not just the fans who are upset about Fox’s meddling, as series creator Joss Whedon has taken to Twitter today to call the widescreen versions “nonsense”…
Buffy was shot 4×3 cuz TVs were shaped that way. Widescreen Buffy is nonsense. (Firefly was shot wide – Fox cropped it.) #apsectratiowoes
— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) December 13, 2014
Should Fox stick to the 4:3 aspect ration for its HD remasters and the inevitable Blu-ray release, or do you want your Buffy in widescreen? Let us know your thoughts…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZqEqJ-QNmio&list=PL18yMRIfoszH_jfuJoo8HCG1-lGjvfH2F
Originally published December 15, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
